Ukraine’s President Volodymyr Zelensky has urged Vladimir Putin to meet for peace talks, saying ‘the war must end’.
His announcement follows another day of heavy shelling across the country
Hypersonic missiles reportedly destroyed a large underground ammunition depot and Ukrainian radio centres have been attacked near to Odesa.
Terrified residents continue to shelter in besieged cities such as Kyiv and Maripoul.
But Russian forces continue to hit setbacks and their advance has ‘largely stalled’.
Mr Zelensky has now called for the Russian President to meet for ‘meaninful conversations’ before it is too late.
In a video address, he said: ‘I want everyone to hear me now, especially in Moscow. The time has come for a meeting, it is time to talk.
‘The time has come to restore territorial integrity and justice for Ukraine.
‘Otherwise, Russia’s losses will be such that it will take you several generations to recover.
‘The war must end. Ukraine’s proposals are on the table.’
UK Foreign Secretary Liz Truss has warned peace talks could be used as a ‘smokescreen’ for the Kremlin to regroup troops for a fresh offensive.
She told The Times: ‘If a country is serious about negotiations, it doesn’t indiscriminately bomb civilians that day.
‘What we’ve seen is an attempt to create space for the Russians to regroup.’
But she added: ‘Of course, Ukraine as a sovereign nation is fully entitled to undertake any negotiation process it sees fit.’
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the Scottish Conservative conference in Aberdeen that he had pledged to send more defensive weapons to Ukraine.
He said he was ‘more convinced than ever’ that Russia’s military venture would fail.
Mr Johnson said now was the time to ‘tighten the vice’ on Moscow and Putin.
He said: ‘He will fail, because in his catastrophic venture in Ukraine he fatally underestimated the heroism and the resolve of the Ukrainians to fight.
‘He underestimated western unity.
‘And among other things, by the way, he underestimated the passionate commitment of the people in this country to help.’
Aid agencies are still being prevented from reaching people trapped in cities surrounded by Russian forces, the UN’s World Food Programme has warned.
It comes as the number of children killed in the conflict rose to 112.
More than 100 pushchairs were lined up today in the western city of Lviv on Friday to remember the children who have been killed since the start of the war.
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